Backyard furnace

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Backyard steel furnaces were what was used by the people of China during the Great Leap Forward (1958-62) when Mao stated that he wanted to double steel output and catch up with the UK in terms of steel output in 15 years. These small steel furnaces were made in the back yards of the communes hence their names. People used every type of fuel they could to power these furnaces, from coal to the wood of coffins. They melted any steel objects, like pots and pans, even bicycles they could get their hands on to make steel girders, but these girders were useless as the steel was of a poor quality and was impure, so it cracked easily. The Backyard Steel Campaign was one of the major failures of the Great Leap Forward, and indeed a factor in the failure of the Great Leap Forward.

Mao incorrecty believed that by matching the UK and the US's steel output he could equal their economic power.

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